Structural clamp



July 24, 1951 E. L. HOLLYWOOD STRUCTURAL CLAMP Filed Jan. 21, 1947 IN VEN TOR. [flIW/V l A/au. nvoaa Patented July 24, 1951 [TED STATES PATENTOB FFIZCLE';

STRUCTURALCLAMP EdWin L. Hollywood,- Glendale; Galifi, assignor toPan-GontinentatlCorporation, Los Acngaales, Calif a corporation: ofCalifornia. Application January 21, 1947, Serial No. 723,309.

3 Claims; 1

This invention relates hers.

' Elampsfbr securin scaffolding and sawhorses together are conveniently'used' inasmuch as they may be quickly applied to form a structure ofgreat rigidity. Further, sawhorses are much too bulky to beprofitablycarriedfrom one construction job to another, and for thisreason clamps of small size are utilized instead. Accordingly lumber maybe joined into a sawhorse-or scaffolding on each specific constructionjob bythe use of clamps.

Thepresent invention may be embodied in a Analternative formmay includesockets for the reception of two-by-fours when the clamp is used in theconstruction of scaffolding.

It-is an object of the invention to provide an improved-sawhorse clampof simple design;

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a. two-part sawhorse clampwherein the parts are hinged or pivoted together.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a combined sawhorseand scaffolding clamp.

.Another object 'of the invention is to provide a sawhorse clamp havinga'toggle spreader for positively engaging a structural member.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide a sawhorse clamp ofsheet metal construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in thefollowin description and claims, considered together with'theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one endof the sawhorse fabricated by utilizing a clamp embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the clamp of. Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the clamp of Fig. 2 taken :alongthe lineIII-III ofFig. 2; and

Fig. 4: is a sectional view through a modified formlof clamp; embodyingthe invention.

to clamps for forming lumber or' otherstruetural members into a saw--horse or scaffolding, and has' particular reference to a sawhorse clamp"that may be readily at-- tachedto or-removed'fromsuch structural mem-- Asocket may Referrin to Fig; 1;.a sawhorse may include legs to rigid-1ypositionedwith respect to-a crossbar it Icy-means of asawhorse clampI211 The legs! may support the clamp'and" the cross bar- It to form oneend of the sawhorse; A similar structure on the other end of the crossbar H will complete the sawhorse structure;

Referringto- Figs. 2 and 3; it willbe notedthat" the clamp it! may beformed basically fronrtwo elongated U-shaped* members [3, eachedge' of"which may haveprojecting ears I A-through which gaged, for example'thesawhorse crosspiece I I ofFig. 1; Both members'lamay'be formedf'identically'so that only one die or other. forming machinery is needed.

A socket'maybeformecl'within each u shaped member [3 to retain thelegboardslli; anclmay; includea turned-over-top edge l8" on eachmemberand including a downwardly projecting;

lip iii: The" transverse strip' l8maywho11yor partially closeoffone'endoffthe channel formed" by the elongated U1 shapes i3:

The socket may alsoinclude abra-ce 2i in each member spanning;

thew-shaped opening andspaced from the outer wallof the U shape by: anappropriate distance to permit the insertion of a standard size of"board: For example, this spacing. may be slightly in excess ofto'receive' a nominal'l b oard.

The bottom of'the" elongated U shape of'each membermaybe-formed withapertures 2 2 through which-nails 25'may be insjertedto positively lockand engage" the" sawhorse shown in Fig: 1;

The sawhorseclampds shown in its open positionin-Fig. 3*;in whichposition the teeth I! are," spread" sufliciently far apart to permit thein-" For sertion of any desired structural member. example; if the clampis designed foruse with two-by-fours',the'spacingbetween the upper teethmay be approximately two inches, since the nominal 'two-by-four. is.slightly less than two.- inches; thick. After. insertion. of a.twokbyefour.

between. the. teeth, forexample the crossQbantL, shown in Fig. 1, thetwoU-shaped. members 13. 1 may be rotated so that; the. teeth Ilapproaeheach other. This rotational function may be performed.

by any desired mechanism, and a presently p e-.

ferred mechanism includes la. toggle: construction whereinaUrshapedamember; 23-imay1. tie-engaged legs" in the clamp, as

and so that the teeth I! will bite into a structural member disposedbetween them; The toggle construction 23 and 24 may be locked to holdthe teeth in engagement with the structural member. This lock mayinclude a projecting end 24a on one or both links 24, which end mayterminate in an inwardly bent tip 24b that will engage the top surfaceof the U-shaped'toggle member 23 when the toggle is fully extended asshown in Fig. 2.

, Itv will be noted further with respect to Figs. 2 and 3 that thesawhorse clamp [2 may be made entirely of sheet metal wherein stationaryjoints may be secured by welding or by riveting and movable joints maybe secured by rivets. Accordingly the U-shaped members l3 may be madefrom a single flat sheet of sheet metal and bent in one or moreoperations to the shape shown in. Fig. 2. The socket brace 2! may thenbe inserted between the side walls of the U-shaped members 13 andsecured therein as by spot welds 26 or by rivets. The pivot between thetwo mem bers may be formed by utilizing a rivet for the pivot pins It,as mentioned, and the toggle members 23 and 24 maybe secured to theU-shaped members 13 by rivets 21 and may be secured together by means ofrivets 28. The teeth H are preferably formed as scallops, giving muchgreater strength than conventional saw teeth. The constructionaccordingly is -not only inexpensive to manufacture, but is simple andrugged.

The operation of. the. embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs.1, 2, and 3 is as follows. The toggle members 23 and 24 may be moved totheir retracted position as shown in Fig.

crossbar 23a. A structural element may then be inserted between theteeth IT, for example a twoby-four as illustrated at in Fig. '1.Thetoggle cross bar 23a may then be manually grasped and pulleddownwardly until the toggle is in a generally straight position as shownin Fig.2, wherein the toggle is past dead center, giving a positivelocking action. This straightposition of the toggle will be maintainedby virtue of the top 2412 on one part of the toggle contacting the topsurface of the U-shaped toggle member 23. In the event that the crossbar ll inserted between the teeth is extremely hard and difficult forthe teeth I! to penetrate, the operation of the toggle may be assistedby pounding on the U-shaped ,members [3 back of the teeth llwhilemaintaining a downward pull on the toggle. The legs ID for forming asawhorse may. next be inserted and U-shaped members [3 may beapproximately 6" long and 4" wide. The spread between the open teeth maybe about 2", and when the toggle is actuated to close the teeth, thisspread may be reduced to about 1 /2" or 1%" at the top. A heavy gauge ofsheet steel is preferred, and 12 and 16 gauge steel has been found quitesatisfactory. The braces-2| may besecured approximate- V ly from theback of the U-shapedmembers [3, as mentioned previously, and a dimensionof 1%" has been found quite satisfactory for this purpose.

" may be passed between the teeth formed ineach U-shaped member, and anysuitable mechanismmay be operated for causing the teeth to en.

For example a toggle 1' mechanism similar to or identical to that ofthe.3;,by manually pushing upwardly on the toggle are positioned therein byvirtue of a socket formed by the turned-in upper edge l8 and the crossbars 2 I. The legs It may be retained within 'the socket of eachU-shaped member 13, by inserting nails in the apertures 22, for examplethe nails 25 of Fig. 1. While theclamp of Figs; 1, 2,

and 3 is designed especially for sawhorse use, it is obvious thatelongated boards lit may be utilized for scaffolding purposes as well assawhorses. I I I I A presently preferred form of the invention isdesigned for sawhorse use wherein'the'elongated' Shown in Fig. 4 is amodified form of the invention wherein auxiliary sockets are providedfor the U-shaped members for the retention of two-by-four uprights sotht the clamp may be used for heavy-duty scaffolding. Accordingly twoU-shaped members 33 may be pivoted together in any suitable manner, forexample by means of projecting ears 3| pivoted together by 'rivets 32.The top of the U -shaped members 30 may be turned in as at 33 and theboard-receiving socket may be completed by providing a cross bar 34 ineach U -shaped member 30. A socket for ,two-by-fours may be provided bypassing a strap of metal 36 up one side of each U-shaped member 30,across the top, and down the other side. An outer ear 3? on the strapmember may be bent downwardly to complete the socket, The strap 36 maybe welded to the U-shaped members 30, for example by spot welds 38, orit may be riveted. Suitable apertures 39 maybe provided within the strap36 and its ear 3'! vthrough which nails,

screws, or other fasteners may be passed for holding the two-by-fours inthe. socket.

The operation of the modification of Fig. 4 is basically the same as.thatfor the clamp illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The pivoted U-shaped members 33 maybe opened so that a twoby-four element 43 or'otherstructural member gage the member 40.

first embodiment may be employed. .Two-byfours 4! may thenbe inserted inthe-socket formed by the strap 36 and its ear 31, and nails may bepounded into the apertures 39' to secure these upright two-by-fours inposition. The provision of the auxiliary strap 136 makes the clamp ofFig. 4 useful not onlv'asja sawhorse clamp, but also as a heavy-dutyscaffolding clamp, inasmuch asfiscaffolds of; great height namely, fromsheet metal bentto shape and welded and riveted together. "Iheears 31may be either seam-welded'to thestrap 33, or may include ears 31a whichmay be folded-around the edge of the strap 36 and spot-welded. It

will also be noted that the strap 36, in passing over the top of theU-shaped-members 3!], gives support to the inwardly projectingends 33that form a part of the socket for receiving sawhorse boards. T

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodimentsthereof, it

is not limited to these embodiments, since it is obvious that variousmodifications may be made therein without departing from' the truespirit and scope of the'invention. -Forexample, the

' clamp could be made as a casting and could be made ofanydesired:metal,.1sucha as brass, cast iron, or even not metal.Likewise var,ious fastehers could be utilizedbther thanfs'pot welds, forexample seam welds, rivets, bolts, andself threading screws. Also--pivot fasteners other thanLriVets could be used, including boltsgandnuts; and kindred fasteners. Accordinglw the invention. is; limited onlyby thetermsgof. the following claims.

What is, claimed is:

l. Ina sawhorse clamp for. securing a;horizon.- tallcrosspiece to a pairof depending diperging legs, the combination of: a pairv of: clampsmem'ebers 1 each comprising a; box-likememben including; an outer, plate, apair ofside platespenpendiculan to said outerplate and extending fromthe side edges thereof to define therebetween a leg receiving channel,and a top plate perpendicular to said outer plate and extending from thetop edge thereof and between said side plates to close the upper end ofsaid channel, said top and side plates being formed integrally with saidouter plate, an inner edge portion of said top plate being turned downand extending in parallel spaced relation to said outer plate to definea leg receiving socket at the upper end of said channel, the upper halfof the inner edges of said side plates having a plurality of teethspaced therealong for engaging and biting into said cross-piece, and amedian portion of both of said side plates comprising ears extendinginwardly from said outer plate beyond said teeth and having a pinreceiving aperture therein, said clamp members being disposed in opposedrelation with the teeth of one clamp memberiacing the teeth of the otherclamp member and with the ears of one overlapping the ears of the otherto align said pin receiving apertures; a hinge pin for each of saidoverlapped ears, said pins being disposed in said apertures and hingedlyconnecting said clamp members for relative pivotal movement to clampsaid cross-piece between the teeth on said opposed clamp members; abrace member for each of said clamps extending between and secured tothe side plates thereof in spaced parallel relation to said outer plateto define with said outer plate and said side plates a rectangularopening for receiving one of said legs, said braces being disposed belowand spaced from said top plates, said outer plate having formed thereina plurality of apertures for receiving fastening devices to be passedtherethrough and into said legs; and a toggle link mechanisminterconnecting said clamp members below said pins, said mechanismcomprising two pairs of links extending parallel to and betweencorresponding side plates of said clamp members, hinge means joiningadjacently disposed ends of the links of each pair, pivots connectingthe opposite ends of said links to said side plates for movement of saidlinks from an open position disposing said hinge means above a linejoining said pivots to a closed position disposing said hinge meanssubstantially on said line, and stop means carried by said links forlimiting downward movement of said hinge means to said, closed position.

2. In a sawhorse clamp for securing a horizontal cross-piece to a pairof depending diverging legs, the combination of: a pair of clamp memberseach comprising a box-like member including an outer plate, a pair ofside plates perpendicular to said outer plate and extending from theside edges thereof to define therebetween a leg receiving channel, and atop plate perpendicular to. said outer. plate and extending; from-the.top edge thereof and between. said side plates, to close the upper: endof said channeL, an, inner edgeportion of said top plate being turned:down: and extending in. parallel spaced, relation to said outer plate todefinea leg receiving-socket. at the upper endof said channel, the;upper half of the inner edges of said side plates having. a plurality ofteeth spaced therealong,v for engaging and biting into said cross-piece,

and a median portion of both of said side. plates, comprising ears.extending inwardly from said outer plate-beyond said teeth and having apin.

receiving aperture therein, said clamp members being disposedinopposedrelation with the teeth of one clamp member facing the teeth ofthe other clamp member and with the ears of one overlapping the ears ofthe other to align said pin receiving apertures; a hinge pin for each ofsaid overlapped ears, said pins being disposed in said apertures andhingedly connecting said clamp members for relative pivotal movement toclamp said cross-piece between the teeth on said opposed clamp members;a brace member for each of said clamps extending between and secured tothe side plates thereof in spaced parallel relation to said outer plateto define with said outer plate and said side plates a rectangularopening for receiving one of said legs, said braces being disposed belowand spaced from said top plates; and a toggle link mechanisminterconnecting said clamp members below said pins, said mechanismcomprising two pairs of links extending parallel to and betweencorresponding side plates of said clamp members, hinge means joiningadjacently disposed ends of the links of each pair, pivots connectingthe opposite ends of said links to said side plates for movement of saidlinks from an open position disposing said hinge means above a linejoining said pivots to a closed position disposing said hinge meanssubstantially on said line, and stop means carried by said links forlimiting downward movement of said hinge means to said closed position.

3. In a sawhorse clamp for securing a horizontal cross-piece to a pairof depending diverging legs, the combination of: a pair of clamp memberseach comprising a box-like member including an outer plate, a pair ofside plates perpendicular to said outer plate and extending from theside edges thereof to define therebetween a leg receiving channel, and atop plate perpendicular to said outer plate and extending from the topedge thereof and between said side plates to close the upper end of saidchannel, an inner edge portion of said top plate being turned down andextending in parallel spaced relation to said outer plate to define aleg receiving socket at the upper end of sadi channel, the

upper half of the inner edges of said side plates having a plurality ofteeth spaced therealong for engaging and biting into said cross-piece,and a median portion of both of said side plates comprising earsextending inwardly from said outer plate beyond said teeth and having apin receiving aperture therein, said clamp members being disposed inopposed relation with the teeth of one clamp member facing the teeth ofthe other clamp member and with the ears of one overlapping the ears ofthe other to align said. pin receiving apertures; a hinge pin for eachof said overlapped ears, said pins being disposed in said apertures andhingedly connecting said clamp members for relative pivotal movement toclamp qsfifl m m i m mb f :9 2? The following references are of recordin the of -sa-1d clamps extending between and-eecured e of this patent:to the side plates thereof in spacedparallelrelat tiori to said outerplate to define withseid ou' 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS plate and said sideplates 3 rectangular-o'fiening Number Name Date for receiving one ofsaid Ieg s, said brades beirig- 128,332 Smith June 25, 1872' V disposedbelow and spaced from said topple-tee 872,722 Fravel Dec. 3, 1907' and atoggle linkmechanism interconnectingfiaj v 1,656,558 Dys J 1 28 clampmembers below'said. ins and O eretta w 10 1,893,165 Fortune Jan. 3, 1933force the lower portions of "said ciamp member's 2,112,778 Kacena M2129, 3 apart to thereby clampsaid oross-piece'between? 2,132,285 Brown0012. 4, 1938 the-teeth of said opposed clamp member; 2,261,217 BondNov. 4, 1941 t r 2,231,519 Claude-Mantle Feb. 11, 1941 EDWINL.'HOLLYWOQD,"""15 ,317,444 Dalton Apr. 27, 1943 2,412,716 Campbell Dec.17, 1946

